President Tadic visiting Kosovo in February (AFP)
15 November 2005 -- Serbia's President Boris Tadic warned today that a solution to the issue of Kosovo should not lead to the "destabilization" of the Balkans.

He made the comments at the start of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin. Tadic arrived in Moscow on 13 November for talks on bilateral relations, as well as the issue of Kosovo's future.

Putin said that in resolving the issue of Kosovo, "principles should be the same for all".

"I recall when 30,000 people from the Albanian population were forced to leave their homes [in Kosovo], the whole world talked about a humanitarian catastrophe," Putin said. "Now, 200,000 Serbs are forced to leave their homes and everyone keeps silent."

Talks on the future of Kosovo are to start later this month under the direction of a UN mediator. Serbia's majority ethnic Albanian province has been administered by the United Nations since 1999.

Turning to bilateral relations, Tadic assured Putin that Belgrade will maintain its traditional close ties with Moscow.